Blogs

Last weekend our Little Library was vandalized, again. This time they set it on fire. Why, seriously? Mid-week someone had added a book. Can't you see? It is kaput, seriously. And then I got it…hope. Seriously!  Pastor Leah

What joy it has been to once again make the Lenten pilgrimage with you ~ from Ash Wednesday through the 40 Days, Palm Sunday and Holy Week, arriving at last, at Easter. Easter:       With the flower-adorned cross…      The return of breakfast in community…      An opening process...

The Thursday of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday ~ Maundy meaning 'commandment'. On that night, Jesus would eat the last supper with the disciples. During the meal Jesus took the bread, broke it and gave it to them; and a bit later, he offered them the wine. 'This is my body given for you and this is my blood shed for you; take, eat, and dr...

We have waded deep into Lent and now Good Friday is just hours away. We know the story; we know what is just ahead…yet, even in the darkness, the light shines; death cannot overcome it. Remain and watch. Pastor Leah 

Thanks to Pastor Eric at First Christian Church, Pedro the donkey lead Sunday morning's procession up the hill. I hope that the folks who caught a glimpse of the 'parade' were curious as to what it all might mean… A donkey ~ a simple symbol of peace, humility, and suffering ~ marks Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and our journey into Holy Week. What...

On my 'list' this week was a drive to Sublimity to get new tires. Ugh! {Yes, new tires are necessary and good, but to the process I say, ugh!} On my way, roadwork. Ugh!! However, as I drew near to the flagger, it was clear that she was dancing. And grinning. Almost immediately, she flipped the sign, but before I continued along my way, she flashed ...

How well do you know this great state of ours? During the long months of Covid-isolation, and needing a 'project', I created 'the Great Oregon Odyssey.' It was an Oregon-wide vision that included visiting 'gems' in each of the 36 Oregon counties. To be honest, some of the 'must-sees' included rolling wheat fields, grain elevators, and even ghost to...

'To heal' was the focus of our mid-week Lenten conversation. But let's be honest, healing is a complicated concept. We can start with different sorts of healing…from a focus on our body/health onto that of spirit/restoration. A band-aid might serve one situation quite well while dangerously obscuring the real issues in the other. And while you proc...

Apparently I am not alone in appreciating the sunshine! Pastor Leah 

End of the road. No outlet. Stop. Ever feel that message in your spirit? Life? Work? Hopefulness? But sometimes, as hard as it seems, it can be a life-giving-message. As in, 'enough already'. Or, 'danger ahead'. Or, 'find a different path'. Even as I see the 'no outlet' sign, I hear the electronic voice of a long-outdated-GPS commanding me to, 'mak...

What feeds you? Perhaps the question spurs you to think of your favorite foods, as in feeding your body. On the other hand, maybe you went right to the things that restore your spirit. Both matter! As we continue to unfold our Lenten theme, 'Why do we gather', last night we thought about gathering in order to be fed. While the Word of God and the S...

Earlier this week, the morning walk was such a 'baptism' that even my most inner layers were wet, wet, wet. This day, I actually got to pull out my sunglasses. While my own preference is warm and sunny, rain or shine, we still walk. During the Lenten Season, as we create space to consider our faith-journey, it is not hard to lay down the 'weather o...

I'm not sure who I was paying more attention to…the child playing in the puddle or the adults who were unhurriedly allowing the rainy-day activity. The weather has been the topic of so many recent conversations, as many of us have grown weary of the long winter here in the valley. {Okay, long for us anyway.} And yet, there is nothing that we can do...

Our Lenten theme continued to unfold this week as Pastor Manuel considered the connection between gathering and believing, believing and hope. He asked the questions: Do we gather because we believe? Or, do we gather in order to believe? Yes! The chapter we are in, the condition of our spirit, and what is going on in our lives and the world all hav...

This morning, while walking in the snow, I caught sight of my first in-bloom-daffodils of the season. Snow and daffodils…they seem a strange pair, one representing winter and the other spring. As we make this Lenten journey toward the cross and then onto resurrection, we find all sorts of seemingly opposing duos. Darkness and light. Death and ...

Driving so slowly up the hill behind his truck, Waiting as he dumped load after load after load of yuck. Instead of feeling an impatient attitude, Today I experienced heartfelt gratitude. Much better!

The man was hauling around a bucket of rocks. Why, I do not know... For how long or how far will he carry them, I do not know that either. The man was packing a bucket of rocks and I snapped the photo when he set them down for a moment. While there may be a fabulously wonderful explanation for lugging the stones about, I was struck by the Lent...

Why do we gather? Asking that question, this Lent, during this particular chapter seems especially poignant. While it appears that the worst of Covid is behinds us {in terms of both outright danger as well as opposing political points of view} we certainly have not moved passed the consequences of the virus nor the isolation that lingers still. Why...

As I went through the checkout line in the grocery store, she greeted me with her usual smile and infectious laugh, and then the question ~ how are you today? How often are we asked? How often do we ask others? Do we listen to the answer? Do we honestly answer the question when it comes to us? Good… Fine… Going through a very hard season, when I wa...

As soon as Jesus was baptized, the Spirit took him into the wilderness; it was after he was faminished, in that time apart, that the voice{s} of temptation came to Jesus. On Sunday we were given the opportunity to think deeply about from where that voice came and just how it tempted Jesus.  Because Lent invites us...